Space 1999 - Mind-Breaks of Space

by Michael Butterworth

  ‘This is the Commander of Moon Base Alpha,’ Koenig announced loudly. ‘We’re coming aboard.’

  There was no answer.

  The security guards had more on their minds than the decor as they slipped the safety catches on their guns and moved cautiously inside. The passenger section was empty and showed no evidence of being recently used at all. The Lieutenant stepped quickly across to the door to the pilot section. The other guard held his gun at the ready as the door opened.

  Jumping into the cabin, the Lieutenant’s eyes raced from one empty seat to the other. Pilot, Co-Pilot and Navigator... there was no one there. The cockpit was as vacant and silent as a robbed tomb.

  Back in the travel tube the Lieutenant reported, extremely puzzled, ‘There’s no one there, sir.’

  Koenig was no less puzzled himself and decided it would be safest to withdraw quickly. ‘Okay, Lieutenant,’ he said. ‘Let’s go back.’

  ‘Just no sign of anyone, sir.’

  ‘Is it in good order... there’s no indication of anything unusual?’

  The Security man shook his head. ‘Not that I can tell. It’s just empty.’

  From inside the Swift’s still open door the voice came loud and clear. ‘Okay fellers, okay. You’ve had your inspection.’ All the Alphans turned in amazement. ‘You’re well armed I see. Good thinking. Anyhow, I get the fact that you really are from Earth, so that’s okay. We’re all friends.’

  ‘Where are you?’ the Lieutenant blurted out.

  ‘Just coming. Where’s your Commander?’

  ‘I’m here,’ Koenig replied.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  Koenig looked across at Helena, wondering whether the continued casual attitude to protocol was a result of such long isolation in space. ‘Koenig,’ he said.

  Helena ventured a question of her own. ‘And what’s your name?’

  ‘Oh lady, what a question. I don’t have a name. Just wait a second and I’ll meet you there.’

  The security men had their guns at the ready once again but as they looked into the Swift’s airlock, they lowered them slowly in confusion. Filling the entrance-way was a rectangular cabinet about four feet high. It rolled forward on hidden wheels and the lights and dials on its front blinked and wiggled according to flow of power inside it. On its top a triple-lensed video scanner played back and forth across the welcoming group and a large amber tube flared in brightness according to the pattern of its speech.

  ‘Koenig?’ the voice they knew well by then asked, and the amber blipped once.

  Koenig raised his hand slightly. ‘That’s me.’

  ‘Pleased to meetcha.’ The lens swung across to Helena. ‘And you’re the lady.’

  ‘I’m Doctor Russell.’

  ‘How are ya, Doctor Russell? Would you like to show me around your lovely little Moon Base now?’

  The cabinet rolled forward steadily and surely, like visiting royalty. Suddenly it stopped. ‘Say,’ it asked, ‘there aren’t any steps or stairs are there? See I’m on wheels and I can’t cope with bumps, you know? Didn’t think of that when they made me. And hey you guys, watch my antenna.’ The box swerved slightly to draw attention to the short strip of metal that hung from the back and dragged on the floor. ‘I’d better tell you what’s what, huh? Who I am, I mean.’

  Koenig felt slightly wary, in spite of a certain sense of amusement at the incredible machine. ‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Like I said, Star Mission Nineteen Ninety-six. Our Mother Ship and the other Swifts landed on a planet that’s quite close by. We called it Planet D.’ Koenig could swear there was a plaintive note of sorrow in the box’s voice as it added, ‘... and they died, all of them, they just died. I’ve been orbiting ever since, waiting for another Earth Mission to turn up.’

  Helena too heard the tremor of sadness and in spite of her scientist’s certainty that machines couldn’t feel emotion, felt a twinge of sympathy. ‘Were you part of the original... uh, crew?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m a rolling, talking seeing head, a beautiful boogie Brain for that old computer on the Swift. It provides the energy and stores the data and I do the thinking. My antenna lets me move around while still keeping in contact with my body, so to speak.’

  In shifting aside for another nervous look at the box’s tail, the Lieutenant accidentally brushed his foot over the end of it. The lights and dials on the front suddenly went crazy, blipping and jerking.

  ‘Yeoww!’ he shouted. ‘Don’t step on it, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Not to mention a headache!’

  The Lieutenant stepped back guiltily. ‘Sorry...’

  Koenig felt edgy uncertainty and there was just the hint of a question he felt he should ask. Exactly what it was eluded him so he queried instead, ‘What can we call you?’

  The box seemed to have calmed down quickly. ‘Well, like I said, I ain’t got no name. There’s only one of me, so I don’t need a name do I?’

  ‘You called yourself The Brain before...’

  ‘That’s not my name, that’s what I am. Actually, pal, the first word I ever said was Brain, only I got it wrong. I said Brian. That’s a name, so if you wanna call me something I reckon that would do. Just call me Brian.’

  That at least settled, Koenig gave the order to return them to the base and the travel tube speeded quickly on its way. Brian thought the vacuum propelled tube idea was terrific, and suggested it would be fun to ride up and down in one all day long.

  ‘By the way,’ Koenig asked Brian as they moved through a corridor towards the Command Centre. ‘We’ve registered a change of course for the Moon. Rather a severe one. Has your computer... have you any data on that?’

  ‘No I haven’t,’ Brian said with a credulous blinking of his amber light. ‘What d’you mean change of course... what’s pulling you?’

  ‘That’s what we’re trying to find out,’ Helena explained.

  ‘You mean a gravity pull? Like from Planet D? A collision course for Planet D wouldn’t be very funny. Gee, I’ll check on that.’

  Inside the Command Centre Tony, Maya and Yasko waited anxiously for the Commander and Helena to return. Tony had already ordered the evacuation to be aborted and the ships to return to the base.

  Maya had become increasingly concerned about the reliability of the base computer. Its response to routine procedure was still fitful and sluggish, a difficulty she had never had before.

  She looked up perfunctorily as Koenig came in through the main doors. She was waiting for the results of a test programme she had put in. Then, as she realized what else her glance had taken in, she looked up again in astonishment.

  Brian was rolling in, his panel lights rippling with curiosity. ‘Hi, folks! How are ya?’ His video lens was jerking brightly from side to side. ‘I’m fine, just okeedoke. Real nice to see you all. I thought I was going to be stuck here twiddling my thumbs for a century or two.’

  Yasko was away from her console, checking through the replacement circuits on the top of a maintenance trolley that Maya had asked for. Brian came scooting right across to her and her kittenish Oriental eyes widened.

  ‘Say chick, what’s your name?’

  ‘Y – Y – Yasko.’

  ‘I think you’re pretty cute Yasko, what are you doing tonight? Hahaha. Just kiddin’... but say,’ he rolled slowly around the maintenance trolley, viewing its gleaming chrome, ‘...I really could go for your friend here. Just dig those yellow plastic wheels will you!’ He surprised them all with a very accurate and loud wolf-whistle.

  No one spoke for a confused moment, then Brian burst out laughing, his amber light flashing like mad. ‘Hahaha. Just kiddin’ fellas. That trolley don’t mean nothing to me... hahaha. Yellow wheels my foot!’

  Helena found she couldn’t resist the humour and Koenig was having a hard time keeping his face straight as well. Only Maya seemed impervious to the joviality. She had too much on her mind about the computer’s erratic functioning and perhaps that was why she f
elt an extra twinge of anxiety as Brian rolled right up to the computer’s input banks.

  ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Your computer’s the same as mine. Mark Ten Holographic Programming, yeah? Him and me, we’re compatible, only he don’t talk... voice-wise.’ Brian suddenly emitted a series of short sharp whistles and resonate bleeps, his front panel lights fluttering. The monitor lights on the input bank of the base’s computer flashed off and on in response several times. Maya felt an inexplicable dread as she watched. ‘Haha,’ Brian laughed turning around, ‘that was just a quick hello in computer talk. I feel sorry for the poor guy, you know, he’s never been born.’

  ‘Well,’ said Koenig, trying to be hospitable. ‘I’d offer you that lunch you asked for but I don’t know what we’ve got that you’d like.’

  ‘Naw, I was just being sociable. I don’t have no digestive system, man. A couple of kilowatts keeps me going real nice.’ Brian began to roll towards the centre doors. ‘Listen, I’ll get back and check that change of course now. Doc Russell, if you’ve got a moment I’d like to give you a tour of my humble abode and also ask you some questions about the death of my crew...’ the voice paused reverently, ‘and the Captain. Maybe you can help figure out the causes.’

  Helena nodded readily. ‘I’d be glad to be of help.’

  ‘Do you mind if I come along?’ asked Koenig, interested himself in discovering the fate of the Star-mission. There was a chance it had some bearing on the day’s unusual events.

  ‘Mind? Why should I mind? I’m delighted you want to come.’

  After they had gone, Tony walked across to watch Maya prepare another test to run through their computer. ‘What did you make of that? What the hell was it?’

  Maya frowned. ‘Some kind of mobile, self-programming computer. Self-monitoring too.’

  ‘That sounds like it’s alive?’

  ‘That depends how you define life. It doesn’t breathe, eat or reproduce. But it certainly seems to think for itself.’ Maya reached out and gripped Tony’s hand. ‘I don’t know why Tony, but I have a bad feeling about that machine.’

  ‘A bad feeling?’ Tony smiled indulgently. ‘Come on Maya, give it a chance. It’s doing a check for us and since we can’t seem to find out where we’re heading that will be very helpful.’ He squeezed her hand, enjoying the contact. ‘Actually, it’s made my day, that silly box. You’re just jealous because your brain works so much like a computer you’re worried about competition.’

  Maya ignored the light-hearted jibe. ‘I still think something’s wrong. Open a channel to the Swift and let’s see what they’re doing.’

  Tony crossed over to the communications board and hit a button. The monitor screen which had been holding the horizon change information went blank and should have replaced the image with the Swift’s interior. Instead it stayed dead grey.

  Tony punched the button again, but there was no change.

  Anxiously Maya leaned over her own controls and tapped out a query for the ailing computer. There was no response.

  There was a moment’s horrified silence and then Maya leapt to her feet and rushed across to the Red Alert button and slapped her hand down on it.

  ‘You have no authority to do that!’ Tony shouted angrily. ‘Only the Commander can order a Red Alert or in his absence, me!’

  Maya simply faced him impatiently, waiting for him to catch on. Tony stopped his tirade and looked at the base communications monitors. There was not a sound or a flicker of a response. The Alert system was dead as well.

  ‘We’ve been cut off!’ Tony shouted to Yasko. ‘Get somebody to bring the Commander and Doctor Russell back here immediately!’

  At that moment there was just the slightest tremor in the floor of the unusually quiet Command Centre. They would never have noticed it under normal operating conditions, but now they did; and sure as anything they knew it was the Swift blasting off.

  CHAPTER TWO

  John Koenig was pitched across the passenger compartment and crashed heavily into the padded bulkhead. The sudden blast-off had caught him and Helena by surprise, only she had been lucky enough to fall backwards into one of the seats. Koenig looked up with a spinning sensation behind his eyes and saw Brian rocking precariously back and forth on its wheels, but managing to stay upright.

  ‘Sorry folks, sorry,’ he announced. ‘We took off a little quickly. Now don’t panic me or we’ll all be in trouble. Just leave me be till I get this ship under control.’

  Koenig ignored the request, and angrily demanded, ‘What do you think you’re doing? I insist that...’

  ‘Shut up!’ Brian barked.

  Koenig and Helena were both taken offguard by the change of character of the machine. Then Koenig felt his indignation welling up again. As the colour rose in his face Helena lifted an admonishing hand.

  ‘Remember John, it’s only a machine.’

  Koenig ignored her and pulled himself up to his feet, making Brian roll back to get out of his way. Suddenly the Swift tilted radically and Koenig tripped backwards.

  ‘Ohhh,’ wailed Brian. ‘I told you. Will you just sit down and get your belts on a minute. I’ll ramble up to the flight deck and get everything shipshape.’

  Koenig watched him roll through the doorway into the pilot section, then scrambled across to Helena. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

  She nodded, but Brian seemed to have heard the question as well and shouted back, ‘Yeah, I’m all right. I sure as heck better be!’

  ‘I wasn’t talking to you,’ Koenig said. ‘Where are you going?’

  The voice almost snarled. ‘I’m going to my Pilot Console I said! Pull yourself together, Koenig.’

  Koenig motioned for Helena to stay where she was and walked stealthfully to the door of the pilot section. There was a steely seriousness in his dark eyes, the jokey rapport now forgotten. He gripped his hand laser and held it in front of him.

  Brian was concentrating fully on the ship’s controls, checking out all the engine functions and the navigation programme. Small bleeps of communication seemed to be passing back and forth between him and the control board as the Tri-lens turned to look at the pilot’s screen. Koenig could see it too, and on it the glaring white surface of the Moon growing quickly smaller.

  The Tri-lens swung round to view Koenig just as Helena came up close behind him. ‘Uh-huh, Commander,’ Brian said. ‘Just take it easy while I trim this course.’

  ‘Trim it back to Moon Base Alpha,’ Koenig ordered.

  ‘Here’s where we’re heading,’ Brian stated flatly.

  The pilot’s screen glazed over and the view of the Moon was replaced by a telescopic close-up of the orange clouded planet.

  ‘Planet D?’ asked Helena.

  ‘You got it lady.’ Without another word Brian turned and backed rapidly into a gap in the control panel. He became completely indistinguishable from the rest of the hardware and Koenig could well understand how the Security men had overlooked him.

  Koenig moved carefully over to the pilot’s seat, keeping his laser aimed at the section of machinery he knew was Brian. With his free hand he tried the controls, seeing if the ship would respond to a change of course.

  Brian’s voice said easily, ‘It’s channelled through me, bud.’

  ‘Programme this ship to return to Alpha.’ Koenig lifted the laser threateningly.

  ‘If you fire that and destroy me the airlocks will open and you and the lady will be swept into space.’ The Tri-lens caught Helena glancing towards the lockers for the crew’s space suits. ‘And if you make a move for those suits I’ll let the air out before your foot touches the ground. Now sit down!’

  Helena hesitated, thinking about Brian’s threat. It was true enough that he could slip open the airlocks and both she and John would be spat out into space like two apple pips. Brian didn’t need air to keep functioning so he would be all right. Helena eased herself down in the Navigator’s chair.

  ‘Now, Commander,’ said Brian, a measure of superiori
ty in his voice. ‘Put that gun down... there on the shelf.’

  Koenig kept the weapon aimed at the centre of the console. ‘Let me communicate with Alpha,’ he insisted.

  ‘Of course I will, just put the gun down.’

  Koenig shook his head. ‘I don’t trust you.’

  ‘Hard luck! Put your gun on the shelf or out you go... and remember Koenig, I can’t eject one of you without the other going as well. If you go, she goes. Ready? One... two...’

  There was a sucking hiss of air. The astral charts near Helena began to lift upwards and a pen skidded across the panel top. Koenig looked around and saw Helena’s face whiten with fear.

  Leaning forwards in the chair he laid the laser on the narrow shelf. As soon as he moved his hand away the shelf swung upwards so that it and the laser disappeared into the shiny blue bulkhead. There was a loud click and the whoosh of the gun being jettisoned through some disposal system into space. The shelf dropped back into place, empty.

  ‘Now then, Commander,’ said Brian gaily. ‘I’ll give you service... not with a smile, ’cause I ain’t got no face to smile with. But here’s your service all right.’

  Koenig and Helena both looked down at the pilot’s view-screen and saw an image cohere of the inside of Alpha’s Command Centre. Tony, Maya and Yasko could be clearly seen... and so could the fact that something had gone badly wrong.

  In the Command Centre, unaware they were under observation, Tony and Maya worked desperately to try to restore the computer function. Maya attempted to get a straight line through to the Medical Centre but all she could raise on her screen was a wriggling slow line of random electrical current.

  ‘Nothing but a mathematical sine-wave... no matter what button I hit.’ She futilely tried another channel and another, with the same result. Her ultra-logical mind told her there was only one answer, but she refused to give up. ‘Tony, try the memory bank from your side. Ask it the date.’